Have you ever burned your finger or touched something very hot? It is not pleasant, but certainly memorable. This “bringing to mind” is what the nervous system is all about. Sensations or sensory receptors in the skin of your finger transmit electrical impulses through a nerve to your spine and then up to your brain. The nerve pathway that relays or uploads the “hot” message from your finger to your spine is a reflex which then causes a fast muscle contraction, pulling your hand away from the heat. The sensory receptor was activated by the heat and caused an electrical nerve impulse to your spine and up to your brain. How fast does this information travel through the nerves? At speeds of up to 120 metres per second or 432 kilometers per hour! Astonishingly, this is just one nerve of the more than 7 trillion nerves in the human body. This reflex is a fascinating adaptation within our nervous system structure, created by necessity for your survival.

How Your Nervous System Works

The human nervous system is made up of your brain, spinal cord, and all the nerves that connect the brain to the body. Sensations that are experienced both inside and outside the body are registered within your brain. Chemical, temperature, pressure, light, and pain are the basic sensory receptors in the body that transmit information to your brain. The capacity of the human brain to process all of this sensory information every second and respond to any changes in your environment is truly remarkable. When this information is transmitted accurately and clearly through the nerves into the spine up to the brain, appropriate and necessary changes happen naturally. This adaptation works to keep you healthy relative to your environment. In other words, when your spine is functioning as it was designed, your brain receives a clear and accurate description of what is happening to your body. The brain is then able to precisely process that information, respond appropriately, and your health is maintained. The ability to quickly adapt and change, in accordance with what the conditions are both inside and outside our bodies, creates an environment for health to express itself. A doctor of chiropractic understands the relationships between the nerves that extend from the spine to the body. Valuable information on the welfare of bodily systems is controlled and regulated by the nervous system. By restoring these nervous system connections, better communication can exist between brain and body. That’s why chiropractic care in Vernon has been growing for the last 125 years and continues to improve the lives of humans naturally!

Written by Dr. Deane Studer, DC